Sleeper GOP candidate puts blue-leaning state in play as fraud scandal shadows Dems

Republicans are eyeing a rare Senate pickup opportunity in Minnesota, where GOP nominee Michele Tafoya is narrowing the gap with Democratic Lt.Gov.

Peggy Flanagan, prompting Fox News to move the race toward Republicans less than three weeks before Election Day.It's been nearly a quarter-century since Republicans last won a Senate election in the blue-leaning state.But Tafoya, a former longtime NFL sideline reporter, is aiming to break that losing streak by flipping the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen.

Tina Smith.A new Minnesota Star Tribune/KARE 11 poll shows Tafoya trailing Flanagan by just four percentage points.On Tuesday, the Fox News Power Rankings shifted the race to the right, from Likely Democrat to Lean Democrat.GOP SENATE HOPEFUL SOUNDS ALARM AFTER TERROR PLOT THWARTEDMichele Tafoya makes her case as the GOP's Senate nominee at the Minnesota Republican state convention at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center in Duluth, Minn., on Saturday, May 29, 2026.

(Star Tribune via Getty Images)"The more that Minnesotans learn about me and my opponent and see what my opponent has failed to do over the last eight years alongside [Democratic Gov.] Tim Walz they're understanding Minnesota needs change.We need fresh ideas, we need an independent thinker, and they're jumping on board," Tafoya said in a Fox News Digital interview.Fox News Digital reached out to the Flanagan campaign for comment, but didn't receive a response at the time this story was published.The race is unfolding against the backdrop of Minnesota's massive welfare assistance fraud scandal, which has attracted national attention for nearly a year and prompted Democratic Gov.

Tim Walz to abandon his 2026 re-election bid.The scandal has also become a central issue in Tafoya's campaign against Flanagan.Tafoya highlighted that "there has been historic fraud under this administration, where Peggy Flanagan, my opponent, has been the second-in-charge in this state.

And not only was the money stol...